via Food Network release:
FOOD NETWORK’S ‘NEXT IRON CHEF’ PREMIERE HIGHEST-RATED, MOST-WATCHED
IN NETWORK HISTORY
Sunday, Oct 4th Debut Tied as #1 Show in Cable; Most Recent Ratings Success for
Top 10 Primetime Network
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Food Network’s Sunday night premiere of The Next Iron Chef tied as the number one show in cable that evening and became the network’s highest-rated, most-watched series premiere in its history. The show posted a 1.1 rating among adults 25-54 with over 2.1 million persons 2+ tuning in to the second season. The premiere was also up double digits – 33 percent – over the Season 1 debut (10/7/07).
The reality series, which challenges 10 top chefs from around the country in a series of demanding situations, testing their culinary skills and mental toughness, will award the top culinary distinction in the country – the title of Iron Chef. Simultaneously, the network stalwart series, Iron Chef America, on which the new Iron Chef will appear, has posted record high ratings in its fifth year on Food Network.
Season Two of The Next Iron Chef will take the contestants from Los Angeles to Japan to New York to compete in the food fight of their professional lives. They will be challenged to create dishes that represent a variety of world cultures and cuisines. Whether working with exotic ingredients like jelly fish, creating their own version of international “fast food” or experiencing umami with sponsor Kikkoman, the chefs must demonstrate their speed, artistry, innovation and leadership in each dish. With the help of the judges – Donatella Arpaia (acclaimed restaurateur and food expert, owner of Anthos, Mia Dona and Kefi), Jeffrey Steingarten (Food Critic, Vogue, New York, NY) and Anya Fernald (Sustainable Food Consultant, San Francisco, CA) – the contestants will be narrowed down until two remain to battle it out in Kitchen Stadium and earn the right to be called Iron Chef. The winner will join the ranks of Mario Batali, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto and Michael Symon and be launched into instant fame as a member of the Chairman’s team on Iron Chef America.
Lemme guess… Argentine food?
Has Mario Batli quit the show to make room for the newest Iron Chef? He hasn’t been shown at all in the most recent episodes, and 6 Iron Chef’s seems like overkill.
Next Iron Chef is a ripoff of Bravo’s Top Chef and not as well executed. The judges are particularly uninteresting.
I’m rather bored with the mystery ingrident nonsense that FoodNetwork loves.
Let’s see if the numbers hold up.
Supposedly the first “Next Iron Chef” was to replace Batali, but I think he might have filmed a few more episodes. I think they just keep him in the intro at this point until they get a full cast. He is clearly doing other things (PBS series) so I’m pretty sure he’s done with Food Network
@AZ how is the Next Iron Chef a rip off of Top Chef? Because it’s a cooking competition in Prime time? Is that where you are getting that from?
The winner of this is going to be on Iron Chef America…
“I think they just keep him in the intro at this point until they get a full cast.”
The ICA episode that was on a week preceding this, with Symon vs. the culinary school students didn’t have Mario Batali in the intro roster anymore. Watch this Sunday. Most likely he won’t be there again. It’s a new episode where they all have custom uniforms, so it’s a good bet he won’t be there. Granted at one point he got a new uniform, so it remains to be seen.
For all intents and purposes he has been gone from the show since 2007.
@brandon – the first episode had a “quick-fire” challenge. Short time limit with an advantage to the winner. Right out of Top Chef. The obvious structure with ten chefs cooking at the same time with one chef being eliminated each episode. (Yeah that goes back to Survivor – the elimination has become a staple of reality compeition shows.) But Food Network hasn’t done that before as far as I can remember.
It may be that future shows will not have two challenges as does Top Chef, but for the first hour it was very similar to Top Chef.
Not a big deal – a lot of these shows copy each other, it’s about execution and casting. I don’t think Next Iron Chef is as good as Top Chef in those areas, particularly the quality of the judges.